And so they continued the rest of the journey in silence. He didn’t mind that they weren’t talking. It allowed him to think about what he was going to do.
More than ever now, he wanted to find the Indian tribe that had been raided. He considered it fortunate that he had come across Olivia. She would tell him all he needed to know about what happened.
Finally, they reached the outskirts of Ruby Rock. Adam had the mind of taking Olivia to the sheriff to rub it in his face that with just a little effort his investigations were yielding fruits.
However, Olivia needed to rest from her ordeal. It would be cruel for him to take her into town, looking all dirty and dressed in Indian attire.
So, instead of taking the road that led into the town, he took the path that would take him to his foster parents’ home.
“We’re almost there,” he mentioned, sensing how exhausted she was.
She nodded.
Adam nudged Dark Knight into a faster pace through the surrounding fields. The trail ran along with deep flowing vegetation. Meadows abutted the dry terrain.
The scent of dried sage filled his nostrils as he urged the horse on. The relentless summer sun beat hard over the landscape. At a point, he had offered her his hat to shield her from its intensity. Even though her skin was a rosy tan, unless it was the dirt deceiving him, he didn’t want her sunburned. He figured she had had enough of the sun already, walking under it for days.
Her resilience and strength left him in awe. He didn’t know any woman who would be able to endure all that. Many would have given up and lay down somewhere, waiting for death.
After passing several houses, he, at last, rode the horse through the gate of a large compound. His foster parents’ house, the house he grew up in when they came to Montana, still stood tall with its pillared porches around it.
The distant mountain stood tall like a towering giant against the backdrop of the house. The white stone house with three bedrooms, a parlor, and a kitchen stood in the middle of the courtyard surrounded by a groove of fruit trees to the left and lush grassland to the right.
With a nostalgic feeling, Adam remembered running around the white porches with several pillars broken. He recalled climbing the trees and falling several times.
He stifled a chuckle, recalling how he hid under his foster father’s four-poster bed to hide from Stephen and fell asleep there.
As was customary, the Stanfords were reclining in cane chairs on the porch, relaxing in the cool of the day.
“Here we are,” Adam said as he rode up to the house.
His foster mother, Cora Stanford, was already up with her petite figure, round face, ash-blonde hair, blue eyes, and a ready smile. His foster father, Boone Stanford, stared at them with curious brown eyes. The tall man with dusty brown hair also rose.
Adam helped Olivia down from the horse. He dismounted as well and slightly touched her shoulder to lead her to the house. Together they climbed the creaking porch steps.
“Who do we have here?” Cora asked after Adam kissed her on the cheek and shook hands with Boone.
“Cora, this is Olivia. I found her in the forest when I went to investigate an incident that took place a few days ago,” he explained swiftly. “She was separated from the Indian tribe she has been living with and had to wander around the forest for the past two days. She requires rest and nourishment.”
It wasn’t surprising when Cora’s eyes watered. “Oh, you poor child. Come into the house immediately.” She quickly walked over to Olivia and put her arm around her shoulders.
“Thank you,” Olivia muttered in a small voice.
Adam watched with a fond smile as his foster mother led Olivia into the house. He turned to his father, who cleared his throat.
“What’s the story behind the girl dressed in Indian clothes?” the man questioned as he returned to his seat.
Adam sighed as he settled himself on the chair Cora vacated. “I wish I knew, Boone. I haven’t really questioned her because of her exhausted state. I suspect it has something to do with the raid I heard of.”
“A raid?”
“Yes. Henry told me some folks went to raid an Indian village. I think her Indian tribe was the one raided and she can’t recall the incident.”
“Her Indian tribe? How’s that possible?”
Adam quickly explained to his foster father what Olivia told him. Boone’s face took on a distant look.
“Poor child.”
